President of Belarus makes particular mention of presence of SCO countries at "Slavianski Bazaar"

At the opening ceremony of the international arts festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk", President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko highlighted the presence of collectives from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries at the forum, BelTA reports.

"The Slavic soul is boundless in its openness to the world. That's why our festival has long gone beyond the geographical boundaries of the Slavic brotherhood," emphasized Alexander Lukashenko.

The current forum has gathered like-minded people from four dozen countries - from Russia to India and from China to Colombia.

"Today for the first time we welcome ministers of culture and creative teams from the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization - now our organization. This is a landmark event in the life of the country. We have joined the community of states for which the future lies. The future of human development based on the principles of equality, respect and creation. At least, this spirit reigns in the SCO today," the President said.

The program of this festival includes the Day of National Cultures of the SCO countries. "Let it become a symbolic beginning of our joint path to common goals. The goals that have united more than half of the world's population - people who are close to and understand the philosophy of our festival. It is the key to peace and mutual understanding, which is given to us by people of art, talented people," wished the Belarusian leader.